St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-01-15
MEASURING TIME.
New Year Sermon by Rev. L. De
Witt Talnlage, D. D.
rb. unvisdom of Estimating ones Life
on Earth by Mere Worldly Gratifioa-
ton The Chris tian Way of Count
i'm. Time-A Contrast.

prn al
for his text to-day a part Of the eighth
- ~, Of the fortv-seyenth chapter Of Gene
sis. "How old art thoua' The sermon
was as follows:
The Egyptian capital was the focus OF
the worlds wealth In ships and barges
there had been brought to it from India
frankincense, and cinnamon, and ivory,
and diamonds; from the north, marble anu
iron: from Syria, .purple and SILK; from
Greece. some of the finest horses OF the
world. and some of the most brilliant char-
lots. and from all the earth that which
could best please the eye, and charm Inc
ear. and crafty the taste. There were
TEMPLES atame with red sandstone, entered
by gateways that were guarded by pillars
bewildering with hieroglyphics, and wound
with brazen serpents, and adorned with
winged creatures-their eyes, and PEAKS,
and pinions glittering with precious stones.
There were marble columns blooming INTO
white flower beds; there were stone pill
lars, at the top bursting into the shape OF
the lotus when in full bloom.
Along the avenues, lined with sphinx,
and fame, and obellsk, there were princes
who came in gorgeously upholstered palan-
ouin, carried by servants IN scarlet or else
where drawn by vehicles, the snoW-Wnite
horses, golden bitted and six ABREAST dash
ing at full run. There were fountains from
stone wreathed vases climbing the ladders
of the light. You would hear bolt shove
and a door of brass would open like flash
of the sun. The surrounding gardens were
saturated with odors that mounted the
terrace and dripped from the arbors, and
burned their incense in the Egyptian noon.
On floors of mosaic the glories of Pha-
"a in, of of
nv, and beryl, and fame. There were or
naments twisted from the wood of tama-
risk, embossed with silver, breaking into
foam There were footstools made out of a
single precious stone. There were beds
fashioned out of crouched lion in bronze.
There were chairs spotted with the sleek
hides of leopards. There were sofas footed
with the claws of wild beasts and armed
with the beaks Of birds. AS you stand on
the level beach of the sea On summer day
and look either way there are miles OF
breakers, white with the ocean foam, dash
ing shoreWard: so it seemed as Ii the sea OF
the worlds pomp and wealth in the Egyp-
tan capital for miles and miles flung itself
up into white breakers Of marble temple,
mausoleum and obelisk.
1t was to this capital and the palace of
Pharaoh that Jacob, the plain shepherd,
came to meet his son Joseph, who had be-
come Prime Minister in the royal apart
ment Pharaoh and Jacob meet, dignity
and rusticity, the gracefulness OF the court
and the plain manners of the field. The
King, wanting to make the old country
man at ease, and seeing how white his
beard is and how feeble his step, looks IA
military into his face and says TO the aged
man: How old art thou9"
Night before last the gate of eternity
opened to let in, amid the great throng of
departed centuries, the soul of the dying
year. Under the twelfth stroke of the
brazen hammer Of the city clock the
patriarch fell dead, and the stars of the
night were the funeral torches. 1t is most
fortunate that on this road Of life there are
SO many milestones, on which we can read
just how fast we are going toward the
journeys end. I feel that it is not IN in
appropriate question that I ask to-day
when I look into your faces and say, as
Pharaoh did to Jacob, the patriarch: "How
old art thou!'
People who are truthful on every other
subject lie about their ages, so that | do
not solicit from you any literal response to
the question l have asked. would put no
one under temptation; but [ simply want
this morning to see by what rod it is we
are measuring our earthly existence.
There is right way and wrong We OF
measuring door, or wall, or an arcl, or
tower; and so there is a right way ard a
wrong way of measuring our earthly OK
istence. It is with reference to this higher
meaning that I confront you, this morning,
with the stupendous question of the text,
and ask: :" How old art thous"
There are many who estimate their life
by mere worldly qualification. When Lord
Dundas was wished happy New Year,
he said: ut will have to be a happier year
than the past, for / hadn't one happy mo-
ment in all the twelve months that have
gone" But that has not been the experience
of most of us; we have found that, though
the world is blasted with sin, it is very
bright and beautiful place to reside in !;
we have had joys innumerable. There is
40 hostility between the Gospel and the
merriments and the festivities Of life
I do not think that we fully enough ap-
preciate the worldly pleasures God gives
us. When you recount your enjoyments,
you do not go far enough back. Why do
you not go back to the time when you were
an infant in your mothers arms, looking
up into the heaven of her smile-to those
days when you filled the house with the
uproar of boisterous merriment-when you
shouted as you pitched the ball on the play
ground-when, on the cold, sharp winter
night, mufhed up on skates you shot out
over the resembling ice of the ponds Have
you forgotten all those good days that the
Lord gave youa Were you never boy9
Were you never girla Between those
times and this, how many mercies, how
many kindnesses the Lord has bestowed
upon you.
If tEare is any one who has right to the
enjoynsents of the world it is the Christian,
for God has given him lease to every
thing in the promise: "All are yours. y
But have to tell you that man who esti-
mates his life on earth by mere worldly
qualification is a most unwise man. Our
life is not to be game Of chess; it is not q
dance in lighted hall, to quick music; it is
not the froth of an ale pitcher; it is not the
settings Of a wine cup; it is not a banquet
with intOXication and registering Tt is the